The Tai Po Treatment Works has opened, to provide drinking water to meet Hong Kong's rapid development.

Speaking at the plant' opening ceremony today, Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao said the Government had to devise a sustainable plan to ensure an adequate water supply to meet Hong Kong's long-term demand.

Trial schemes on seawater desalination and reuse of treated sewage effluent for non-potable use are underway at the Cable Car project at Ngong Ping in Lantau, she said.

Department committed to making best use of resources, technology

Water Supplies Director CG Ko said the design concepts of treatment works reflected the department's commitment to making the best use of available resources and technology to improve services while being conscious of the need to protect the environment.

"These new treatment works have been specifically designed to take advantage of the most advanced technologies, including clarification by dissolved air floatation units and removal of ammonia and manganese by primary aerated biological filters to produce high quality drinking water," Mr Ko said.

To conserve water, all wash-water used for cleaning filters is recycled. Sludge is treated on site so that the only waste product is the dry sludge-cake which is harmless to the environment, he said.

Waterworks to be Hong Kong's second largest

The Tai Po Water Treatment Works, together with the Butterfly Valley Primary Service Reservoir in Kowloon and the 12km-long treated water aqueduct connecting the two waterworks form the Tai Po Water Scheme. This is one of the biggest water supply projects the Water Supplies Department has undertaken in recent years.

The project cost is about $3.3 billion. The schemes provide treated water to the north-eastern part of the New Territories and the metropolitan area.

Work on the treatment works started in 1998 and was completed in June. It has an output capacity of 250,000 cubic metres per day with provision for future expansion to 1.2 million cubic metres per day if demand goes up.

When extended to its ultimate capacity, it will be the second-largest treatment works in Hong Kong. With the added capacity of this new plant, the Water Supplies Department will have the opportunity to reprovision the 40-year-old Sha Tin Treatment Works to improve the reliability of the water supply.